Bust of Alexander the Great at The British Museum, London

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This relic was unearthed in Alexandria, a metropolis established by Alexander in 331 BC, and the site of his final resting place. Alexandria served as the capital of the longest enduring Hellenistic dynasty, the Ptolemies. Since the reign of Ptolemy I Soter ('Saviour') (305-282 BC), Alexander was revered as a deity and the patriarch of the dynasty. Alexander consistently depicted without facial hair, marking a new trend: all earlier portraits of Greek leaders or rulers featured beards. This royal fashion persisted for nearly five hundred years and almost every Hellenistic king and Roman emperor until Hadrian were portrayed without beards. Alexander was the first ruler to wear the highly symbolic royal diadem, a band of cloth tied around the hair that became the emblem of Hellenistic kingship. Created during the Hellenistic Greek period, 2nd -1st Century BC. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative launched by MyMiniFactory, through which we are building a digital repository of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community-driven effort, if you have intriguing items nearby and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to discover how you can participate.